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Modelling the effects of changes in rainfall event characteristics on TSS loads in urban runoff
Author(s) -
Borris Matthias,
Viklander Maria,
Gustafsson AnnaMaria,
Marsalek Jiri
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.9729
Subject(s) - environmental science , storm , stormwater , surface runoff , hydrology (agriculture) , pollutant , total suspended solids , stormwater management , water quality , first flush , meteorology , environmental engineering , geography , geology , sewage treatment , geotechnical engineering , ecology , chemistry , chemical oxygen demand , organic chemistry , biology
The effect of changes in rainfall event characteristics on urban stormwater quality, which was described by total suspended solids (TSS), was studied by means of computer simulations conducted with the Storm Water Management Model for a climate change scenario for northern Sweden. The simulation results showed that TSS event loads depended mainly on rainfall depth and intensity, but not on antecedent conditions. Storms with low‐to‐intermediate depths and intensities showed the highest sensitivity to changes in rainfall input, both for percentage and absolute changes in TSS wash‐off loads, which was explained by the contribution of pervious areas and supply limitations. This has significant implications for stormwater management, because those relatively frequent events generally carry a high percentage of the annual pollutant load. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.